The 5 Love Languages (Part 2): Gifts

The 5 love languages is written by Dr. Gary Chapman and it entails the importance of being able to express love to your spouse in a way that your spouse can understand. Every human being has a love language and more times than not, your love language is not your partner’s love language. The 5 love languages include:
1. Words of Affirmation
2. Receiving Gifts
3. Acts of Service
4. Physical Touch
5. Quality Time
Remember, every individual has a love language and until that love language is met by his/her partner, he/she doesn’t feel completely loved. Speaking in your spouse’s love language probably won’t be natural for you. Dr. Chapman says, “We’re not talking comfort, we’re talking love. Love is something we do for someone else. so often couples love one another but they aren’t connecting. They are sincere, but sincerity isn’t enough.”There is the primary (most important), secondary, tertiary love language because most individuals have more than one love language with varying importance. I discussed the love language “Words of Affirmation” in my last post, let’s continue to the next:

2. Receiving Gifts: In every society throughout human history, giving gifts is perceived as an expression of love. This is one of the most used love language but often most misunderstood. People have the idea that the more expensive the gift, the greater the love or the greater the impact. There is nothing further from the truth. I remember when I spent just N3,000 to dazzle my girlfriend. This was over 5 years ago and her birthday was fast approaching. I called her sister and told her about my plans to surprise my girlfriend (her sister) on her birthday. I set my plan into action, I went to a shop and bought a birthday cake worth N100 and wrote such heartwarming words inside. I also bought a small cake worth N500 and tagged a note to it that said “you sweeten my life”. I bought a cute wristwatch worth N700 and tagged a note to it saying “the time spent with you is priceless”. I remember one of the days we went window shopping and she admired a shoe, so I went back to that shop and bought the same shoe for N1,500 and tagged a note to it saying “I know you love this shoe, anything to make you smile”. I put everything in a red small bag I bought for N200 and tagged a note to it saying “happy birthday to the love of my life, a girl like no other” and some other sweet things that I can’t remember. I drove to her house and called her sister, instructed the sister to put the bag under her bed but make sure the handle of the bag is sticking out so she is aware there is a gift there. When my girlfriend got back from work, showered, eat and all of a sudden saw the bag under her bed. She called me crying, her tears of joy brought tears to my own eyes, she was just so happy and was thanking me for every single gift in the bag. Take note, I spent just N3,000 for all the gifts including the bag I used in packaging it. It was not really about the gifts itself but about the packaging and the surprise factor. It is only a materialistic girl that is concerned about the price of the gifts you get her. Every girl has a mental lists of what she wants, if you don’t have much money, try and unravel that list and get the cheapest thing on that list, package it with plum and surprise her with it and watch her GLO with pride. Mind you not everyone has gifts as a love language, so you have to know his or her love language and go for it.